Playtime
by Shadougelover14
Summary: It's the strongest evils you can never get rid of, or escape from...
1. Chapter 1

**I noticed there aren't a lot of stories that involve Paddywhack making a comeback for revengem(heck, I don't think there ARE any; one maybe?). So I thought I'd fix that; I think I just enjoy writing dark stuff...should I be worried?**

**Anyway, please read and enjoy, and tell me what you think! ^^**

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Quackerjack strolled into his underground toy kingdom, whistling merrily as he did. It was still messy after that lousy Darkwing Duck wrecked the place, but he and his toys were making progress in cleaning it up.

"So, Mr. Banana Brain, where shall we start today? Do we continue with the building block castle, or start on the Lincoln Log bridge leading into it?" he asked, pulling the doll from his pocket.

"_Well if you're gonna build that bridge, you should move all the junk out of the way, May."_

Quackerjack glanced at the spot he planned to start the bridge, which was still piled with stuffed toys, action figures, and other various playthings.

"Good thinking partner; we can just move it out of the way until we figure out what to do with it."

He called two of his robotic teddy bears over, and they started clearing the toys out of the way. Quackerjack was fumbling with a large cluster of toys in his arms, blocking his front view.

"Hey, someone tell me which way I'm going-WHOA!"

His foot hit something, and he tripped to the floor, sending the toys in his arms flying.

"Owie…Teddy watch where you're going, will ya?" he snapped, sitting up. However, the bear he thought he'd tripped over was a good distance away, and so was the other bear. So what had he hit? He looked around but saw nothing that would've caused him to fall; it had felt like a box or something of the sort.

Seeing nothing, he shrugged, and started gathering the toys back up.

"Huh, clumsy me I guess; although I could've sworn there was something there...maybe I'm losing it."

"_Can't lose what you never had, Chad."_

He glanced down at Mr. Banana Brain hanging out of his pocket in annoyance as he reached for another toy.

"That's quite hurtful Mr. Banana Brain…true, but hurtful-"

His hand hit something cold and hard, and he glanced at it curiously since he couldn't recall picking up any of his tanks- and froze. It was a jack-in-the-box.

He flew back with a shriek, holding his Banana Brain doll tightly as he hit the floor, and continued scooting backwards until he hit the concrete wall.

"Wh-wh-why is th-th-THAT here?!" he shouted.

"_I thought you got rid of all your jack-in-the-boxes, Roxas?" _Mr. Banana Brain asked.

"I-I-I did! I got rid of every last one of those stupid things after-after you know who!"

"_So why's this one here?"_

"M-Maybe I missed it, or...I don't know, but it's not gonna be here long!"

He glanced back at the box, and was startled to see it was closer than before. Swallowing, he glanced at his two bears, who were still working, oblivious to his situation, and whistled at them.

"Hey, you bozos take that thing and get rid of it! I don't care how; throw it in the ocean, smash it to bits, burn it, just get rid of it!" he ordered furiously. The two bears nodded, and marched towards it.

They picked it up, but as soon as they did, they were thrown back by some sort of force, and smashed to pieces against the walls. Quackerjack stared at the remains for a few seconds, then at the box once again. It was definitely closer now, a little more than five feet. The jester yelped, trying to move further back, but the wall prevented any such movement. The handle on the toy started turning in a slow circle, and he felt his heart skip a couple beats.

It couldn't be…it was impossible! Wasn't it…?

The lid sprung open, and a tall, thin figure rose out of it, towering over the trembling duck, and glowing red eyes bored into him.

"Will you plaaaay with meee?"

A terrified shriek escaped Quackerjack's beak as he scrambled to his feet and took off down one of the sewer pipes. Paddywhack's laughter followed him, and as he looked back he saw the demented duck's shadow following as well. He raced through the tunnels, not really paying any attention where he was going, and making random turns into different tunnels at every cross-section.

"Whyyy are you running, Quackerjack? Don't you waaant to plaaaay?"

"NO, GO AWAY!"

He hit a dead end at a barred cover where water would drain out, and he whipped around to face- nothing. There was no sign of Paddywhack, or his shadow, or even his jack-in-the-box. He slid to the floor, hugging Mr. Banana Brain tightly as he shivered; he could still feel the sinister presence close by, and getting closer by the minute.

"Didn't you miiiss meee, little clown? I was sooo excited when I found out where you were…"

The chilling voice echoed all around him as he curled up into a trembling ball.

"I thought we could plaaaay some moooore…"

"No, no, no, no, no…" he whimpered, shaking his head as he felt the presence closing in.

Something tapped his foot, and he jumped, glancing down to see the jack-in-the-box. He jumped back with a yelp, and hit the bars. The lid opened, and a strong force started pulling him towards it. He held tightly to the metal bars with one hand while his other held Mr. Banana Brain.

"NO, NO, I DON'T WANNA GO BACK IN THERE, NO!"

A hand grabbed his leg, and pulled him from the bars, dragging him across the ground, and partially into the box.

"NO, LET ME GO, NO! HEEEEELLP!"

He caught the edge of the opening as he was pulled in, letting out another scream, before his hand slipped, and he fell into darkness.

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	2. Chapter 2

Waking up in a small circle of light, Quackerjack immediately looked at his outfit, dreading over the business suit he knew he must be wearing…and being stunned when he saw he was still in his jester costume. Strange…he was overjoyed, but it was strange…there was one thing missing though; Mr. Banana Brain. Patting himself over, he couldn't find the doll in any of the pockets he usually stored it in.

"Don't worry, your preeecious little doll is safe…" Paddywhack's voice announced, echoing around in the darkness. Quackerjack swallowed, and shakily got to his feet.

"G-give him back right now! He's MY toy, not yours!"

Laughter followed, before Mr. Banana Brain suddenly appeared out of the darkness in front of him, seemingly floating in midair.

"If you want him so baaadly, then taaake him…"

Hesitantly, Quackerjack reached for the doll with shaking arms, and grabbed it. Suddenly he was yanked forward, into the darkness, and one hand grabbed his wrists, while another grabbed his beak, trapping it shut as a squeak of fear escaped him when he saw two red eyes glaring into his.

"You're in MY world nooow…so you follow MY ruuules…" Paddywhack growled. The grip on his wrists tightened painfully, causing the jester to wince.

"When I want to play, you'll simply obey without question; otherwise, I'll take away that nice little spot of light I gave you, and you can sit around here in the dark until I get bored. Understand?"

Quackerjack was hesitant at first, but the bone crushing grip on his wrists soon got him to nod. Paddywhack chuckled, released his beak, and patted the top of his head.

"That's a good little clown; now go sit down and behave, and I'll come back when I'm bored."

He was shoved backward, and fell back into the spot of light. He hastily scrambled into the center, as far away from the darkness as he could get on all sides, and looked around timidly as he sat Indian-style.

"C-can I have him back now?" he mumbled. There was a brief silence, before the demented spirit replied.

"If you're cooperative the first few times, I'll give him back for a little while…but you have to beehaave, understand?"

"B-but-"

"Or I can rip him to shreds right nooow…"

"N-no, please don't!"

"Well then, we have a deal, yeees?"

Quackerjack was silent for a moment, before sighing and bowing his head. Laughter surrounded him, and Paddywhack spoke up again.

"Goodie; I can't waaiit to get started. What is it you aaalways say again?"

The toymaker pulled on the ends of his hat, swallowing the large lump in his throat, already knowing what Paddywhack was going to say.

"It's plaaaaytiiiime…"

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In any other situation, Quackerjack would've enjoyed these games; if it wasn't him on the receiving end of the 'fun'. Paddywhack always made sure that the toy maker was on the losing end of whatever game they played. He had kept his promise though, and after the first couple sessions he'd allowed Quackerjack a few short minutes with Mr. Banana Brain. He would normally be giddy, but he spent that time simply curled up in a ball, hugging the doll tightly against his chest, whimpering. The doll was the only thing he had to look forward to through all the torment.

At the moment, he was trapped in a 'game' of Electrical Chess. Electrical because he was forced to wear a shock collar that zapped him every time he made a wrong move. It didn't help his case that he wasn't the best chess player; it was nowhere near as fun and easy as checkers.

"Your mooove…"

He glanced up at the black and white clad duck nervously, then back at the board as he swallowed the fearful lump in his throat. He could only see Paddywhack from the waist up, the rest was shrouded in darkness, and it appeared he was floating in midair.

Hesitantly, he lifted his bishop with a trembling hand, and set it on another spot, not really paying any attention as to where he was putting it as he tugged at the collar.

"You reeaally aren't that good at this game, are you?"

The piece disintegrated, and Quackerjack only had a millisecond before electric pain shot through him, causing him to scream as he grabbed at the collar. It passed after a few seconds, leaving him gasping for air.

"What'd I do _that _time?!" he exclaimed through gasps.

"My bishop trumps yours."

"I'm not a chess expert, but even I know you can't do that!"

Paddywhack chuckled, and flicked one of his pieces forward.

"It's my world, therefooore, my rules."

"But that's not fair-!"

A growl silenced him, and he hastily looked back down at the board. He only had three pieces left now, the horse, and the king and queen, whereas Paddywhack had all of his, of course. His eyes examined the board, fingers drumming frantically as be tried to think of any sort of strategy he could use. He'd never liked chess.

"Wh...what happens if I lose?" He asked, nervously glancing back up. Paddywhack snickered, and patted his head.

"Where's the fun in spoiling things?"

Quackerjack's eyes narrowed, and he glowered back at the board.

"I don't wanna play anymore..."

Another growl answered him, but he continued glaring, shifting it to the tall duck.

"I DON'T want to play anymore..."

"You have no CHOICE."

Quackerjack climbed to his feet, a small part of his brain wondering what the heck he was doing, and shouted,

"I'M NOT PLAYING ANYMORE! NOW GIVE ME BACK MR. BANANA BRAIN AND LET ME GO HOME!"

He had plenty more to say, but he was cut off when the shock collar he'd so stupidly forgotten had him on his knees in pain. Paddywhack grabbed his beak again, trapping it shut as he snarled in his face.

"YOUUU HAVE NO RIGHT TO ORDER MEEE AROUND! THIS IS MY WORLD, AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!"

The toy maker was thrown back to the floor, where he curled up in pain as the collar continued electrocuting him. Finally it stopped, and the collar was suddenly gone, leaving him panting and exhausted.

"Don't tryyy my patience again, little clooown..." Paddywhack growled, before vanishing into the shadows.

Quackerjack remained where he was, having no energy to move. His neck and hands were singed and hurting from where he'd grabbed the collar.

'_I wanna go home...' _He thought despairingly '_I wanna go home...' _

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**Writing Paddywhack is kinda hard when it comes to...well, torture. Because he's not like Negaduck where you can just give him a chainsaw or something and have it make sense; Paddywhack, while being an evil spirit, is STILL childlike in some instances, so his methods are going to be quite different than most, depending on how one offends him. So, if this seems weird for him, please know that I'm trying my best to keep him in character as well as up the stakes for Quackerjack.**

**Alright, that aside, please tell me how it seems so far! I appreciate feedback; it makes the fanfiction world go 'round!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, so here's the next chapter finally. Just one thing before we start; if or when you leave a review, can u please please keep it pertaining to this story? It's a little disheartening to get excited at seeing a new review, and it turns out to be about an entirely different story that's in no way connected to it. **

**So please keep the reviews related to THIS story. Alright, on with the story! Whats Paddywhack's sick game this time, or does Quacky have a game plan of his own?**

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Quackerjack was fiddling with one of the bells on his hat, though the jingle seemed fainter than usual. His hands and neck still hurt.

"There's confusion in youur mind...as tasty aaas it iiis, what aaare you pondering?"

"...How come you didn't make me wear a business suit? I-I'm not complaining but..."

"Well, you were expecting it, weren't you? Where's the fuuun if you're expecting it?"

It made sense, Quackerjack had to give him that. One of the things the toy maker prided himself in was his own unpredictability. Not that it helped now, he didn't have anything to work with in this space...but...if he was in that open area from before...

"I wanna go outside..." He mumbled. The atmosphere grew dangerously tense, and he quickly backpedaled.

"N-Not outside the box! I mean...wherever we were the last time..."

Paddywhack was silent, and Quackerjack assumed he was thinking it over.

"What exactly do you think I can do? I don't have anything to work with."

The silence went on, before Paddywhack finally responded.

"Very weeell...but should you try anythiiing, you WILL regreeet it..."

The light went out for a brief second, before coming back, and the whole area lit up, revealing the confusing and abstract world he remembered. Okay, this he could work with...

Paddywhack didn't seem to be around; he couldn't sense him anyway. Quackerjack glanced around at the landscape, eyes falling on a giant pair of scissors, and a large elastic band which was attached to a boulder, all perched precariously on a cliff.

'_Hmm, potential...now it's REALLY playtime...' _

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He wasn't sure how much time had passed, he really had no way to keep track of it, but he must have spent the majority of his limit scaling the cliff, because he could feel Paddywhack's presence approaching. Cautiously peering over the edge of the cliff, he spotted the strange form of the duck manifesting from the shadow cast by the cliff.

"Alriiight little clown, time's up; where aaaarre you?"

Swallowing down his fear, Quackerjack moved to the large scissors, and pulled on the end that was in the air. After a bit of resistance, they gave, and the elastic band holding the rock was cut. The boulder rumbled, before rolling off the cliff. There was a shout, before it was cut off by the crash of the rock, and silence followed. He peered over the cliff again, and saw the rock, resting on the cracked ground below, and there was no sign of Paddywhack.

"...It worked? It actually worked! I did it, ha ha, I did it!" Quackerjack cheered happily.

His joy was interrupted by a rumble, and a large shadow soon enveloped him, and he slowly turned around. He immediately wished he hadn't; a large and _furious _Paddywhack loomed over him, red eyes glowing with pure anger, and sharp teeth bared in a furious snarl.

'_Oh I reeaally did it…' _the toymaker thought with a gulp.

Everything suddenly vanished in a flash of light, and he was back in the spotlight surrounded by darkness. Things were dangerously silent as he looked around, until he heard a soft growl. Something lunged out of the shadows in front of him, and he fell back with a yelp. He got a better look, and realized it was a large hand…with needle like claws digging into the ground. It slid back into the darkness, leaving thin grooves in their stead and a terrified Quackerjack trembling on the floor. As he stared, he noticed the circle of light he was in was getting smaller and smaller, forcing him to draw his legs in as he curled into a ball.

"Please don't hurt me, please…" he whimpered, face buried in his multicolored sleeves. There was no reply of any kind as the light grew smaller, and soon everything went dark. Silence followed for several seconds, before it was shattered by screaming.

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	4. Chapter 4

Light filled the dark void once again, revealing Quackerjack, who was laying in the fetal position. His outfit was covered in rips and tears, slightly revealing his arms, which were also cut and bleeding, and there was one long cut on the side of his head. Once the light had come on, he cautiously lifted his head up, staring at his surroundings with wide eyes.

"If you try anything like that again, I can assure you the light WON'T come back..." Paddywhack growled from somewhere in the shadows. Quackerjack trembled as he sat up, searching the darkness wearily for any sign of the demented spirit.

"Understaaand?" The spirit hissed, his voice edging on a snarl. Quackerjack was quick to nod, keeping an eye on the edge of the light to make sure it stayed put.

"Goood...I think we've played enough for the day. You just sit there and behave, and maaaybee I'll let have your little friend back for a while..."

Everything fell silent again, leaving Quackerjack alone in his thoughts. He winced as the sting of the cuts hit him, and pressed a hand to the one on his head, and pulled it away with a faint trace of blood on his palm. He stared at it for a while as various thoughts flew through his mind.

He'd seen Paddywhack angry before, when Quackerjack had teamed up with Darkwing in order to escape this weird world. When the toy maker had refused to continue the ill-fated chess game, the spirit had also been angry.

But this...this hadn't been just angry; this had been bloodlust. It was a side of Paddywhack that the jester hadn't seen before.

And a side he never wanted to see again.

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_Elsewhere..._

"St. Canard sure is quiet tonight, huh Lumina?" Megavolt sighed as he leaned on the rail of his lighthouse, holding a lightbulb up as if it could see the city. The sight of all the lights irked Megavolt, but he wasn't in the mood for dealing with a certain caped crime fighter tonight. His precious luminaries would have to hang on a bit longer.

"A little too quiet actually...wasn't there something big going on this week? What was it...I think it had something to do with Quackerjack...hmm..."

Sparks danced on his plug hat as he mused, before the lightbulb suddenly lit up as he snapped his fingers.

"Oh yeah, there's a Whiffleboy convention at the mall this week! Quacky invited me to go with him yesterday! Or...was it today? What IS today?" He asked, holding the lightbulb to his ear.

"Wednesday? Okay, thanks- wait, Wednesday?! The convention's gone on for three days straight with no appearences from Quackerjack?!" He exclaimed. That was beyond strange; the duck had been quite adamant about going, and had begged for Megavolt to accompany him. It only took reminding the rat of all the light bulbs he could rescue while Quackerjack had his playtime with the convention goers to persuade Megavolt. With all the time the duo had spent plotting, and taking into account how much Quackerjack detested Whiffleboy, it seemed almost spooky that the duck had suddenly backed out now.

"Even if I forgot, he'd have shown up and dragged me there the first day...strange..." Megavolt mused as he stroked his chin in thought. He glanced at the bulb again, before shaking his head.

"No, there's no way HE'D forget about the convention; he had it marked on a calendar in big red letters...no I'm pretty sure it was just marker..."

Now that he really thought about it, Megavolt hadn't seen hide nor tail of Quackerjack since their planning session, ad that had been a day before the convention was to start. The duck had announced he wanted to clean up his underground lair for a victory party, and that was the last Megavolt had heard from him.

Perhaps he should go check on the duck; if whatever had happened kept the toy maker from showing up to a convention celebrating his hated enemy, it must be serious.

Megavolt gave a yawn, and stretched as he went inside.

"Eh, I'll go tomorrow; what's the worst that could have happened?"

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Meanwhile, Megavolt wasn't the only one to notice the absence of the toy maker at Whiffle-Con.

Darkwing Duck was in the tower, wondering about the strangely silent villain's whereabouts as he sat in front of his large computer. He'd only endured three days of it with Gosalyn because he thought the jester would make an attack.

"He'd never pass up a chance to destroy Whiffleboy's products and reputation; what's that disturbingly demented duck up to that it would keep him from Whiffle-Con?" He mused to himself.

"Maybe he got sick DW."

He glanced at his trusty sidekick below, who was playing cards with Gosalyn.

"We both know nothing short of death would stop Quackerjack from sabotaging Whiffleboy. And with a convention as big as this, I would think he'd make it his life goal to go." The superhero stated as he slid down to join them.

"Even villains need a vacation, Dad; why can't you just enjoy the week off?" Gosalyn asked as she laid her cards face down and looked up at him.

"A crime fighter has to be on his toes at all times; and aren't you supposed to be studying young lady?"

"But it's just history; who cares about stuff that happened hundreds of years ago?"

"Your report card cares; home, now."

Gosalyn frowned, but marched off to the transport tubes anyway. Launchpad chuckled as he watched her go, before picking up her cards.

"Yipe, you just saved me fifty bucks DW, she had a full house."

"Launchpad, we have more important things to worry about!"

"Gee, I would think you'd be happy Quackerjack left the convention alone."

"Well, I am, Launchpad, but it's also suspicious! Why would Quackerjack, self proclaimed enemy of Whiffleboy, pass up a chance to wreck one of its best conventions?"

"Well, uh...maybe he...I don't know..."

"It's bizarre, even for him! Whatever he's up to, we've got to get to the bottom of it!"

"Okay, but where do we start?"

"I...have no idea."

The duo sat in silence for a few seconds, before Launchpad snapped his fingers.

"Hey, he's always hanging out with Megavolt, right?"

Darkwing caught on, and jumped to his feet with a triumphant smirk.

"Of course! If we find Megavolt, we can question him! Good thinking Launchpad! Lets go!"

"Gee, can't we wait till tomorrow? It's awful late...and I'm tired." The pilot yawned.

"Tomorrow? But that's hours away!"

"Whatever they're doing, I'm sure it can wait one more night, DW."

After a few minutes, Darkwing sighed and flopped back into the chair.

"I guess...what could happen?"

For some reason, the question seemed to fill the duo with a sense of dread.

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...yep, I'm bringing other people into this.

And yes, there actually is a bit of a plot in this; will Megavolt and Darkwing be able to find out about Quackerjack's situation? Or will the jester even be able to hold on that long? Stay tuned to find out!


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